Cookies on the NHS website
We've put some small files called cookies on your device to make our site work.
We'd also like to use analytics cookies. These send information about how our site is used to services called Adobe Analytics, Hotjar and Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our site.
Let us know if this is OK. We'll use a cookie to save your choice. You can read more about our cookies before you choose.
I'm OK with analytics cookies Do not use analytics cookies
Search the NHS website
Search
My account
Health A-Z
Live Well
Mental health
Care and support
Pregnancy
Browse
More
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Get the latest advice about COVID-19
Home Health A to Z
Overview
-
Hepatitis C
Contents
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Lifestyle FAQs
Complications
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect the liver. If left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.
But with modern treatments, it's usually possible to cure the infection, and most people with it will have a normal life expectancy.
It's estimated around 118,000 people in the UK had chronic hepatitis C in 2019.
You can become infected with it if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.
Information:
Coronavirus advice
Get advice about coronavirus and liver disease from the British Liver Trust
Symptoms of hepatitis C
Hepatitis C often does not have any noticeable symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged.
This means many people have the infection without realising it.
When symptoms do occur, they can be mistaken for another condition.
Symptoms can include:
flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and a high temperature (fever)
feeling tired all the time
loss of appetite
stomach ache
feeling and being sick
The only way to know for certain if these symptoms are caused by hepatitis C is to get tested.
How do you get hepatitis C?
The hepatitis C virus is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact.
Some ways the infection can be spread include:
sharing unsterilised needles – particularly needles used to inject recreational drugs
sharing razors or toothbrushes
from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby
through unprotected sex – although this is very rare
In the UK, most hepatitis C infections happen in people who inject drugs or have injected them in the past.
It's estimated around half of those who inject drugs have been infected with the virus.
Getting tested for hepatitis C
Seek medical advice if you have persistent symptoms of hepatitis C or there's a risk you're infected, even if you do not have any symptoms.
A blood test can be carried out to see if you have the infection.
GPs, sexual health clinics, genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics or drug treatment services all offer testing for hepatitis C.
Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent or limit any damage to your liver, as well as help ensure the infection is not passed on to other people.
Find out more about testing for hepatitis C
Treatments for hepatitis C
Hepatitis C can be treated with medicines that stop the virus multiplying inside the body. These usually need to be taken for several weeks.
Until recently, most people would have taken 2 main medicines called pegylated interferon (a weekly injection) and ribavirin (a capsule or tablet).
Tablet-only treatments are now available.
These new hepatitis C medicines have been found to make treatment more effective, are easier to tolerate, and have shorter treatment courses.
They include sofosbuvir and daclatasvir.
Using the latest medications, more than 90% of people with hepatitis C may be cured.
But it's important to be aware that you will not be immune to the infection and should take steps to reduce your risk of becoming infected again.
Complications of hepatitis C
If the infection is left untreated for many years, some people with hepatitis C will develop scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). 
Over time, this can cause the liver to stop working properly.
In severe cases, life-threatening problems, such as liver failure, where the liver loses most or all of its functions, or liver cancer, can eventually develop.
Treating hepatitis C as early as possible can help reduce the risk of these problems happening.
Find out more about the complications of hepatitis C
Preventing hepatitis C
There's no vaccine for hepatitis C, but there are ways to reduce your risk of becoming infected.
These include:
not sharing any drug-injecting equipment with other people – including needles and other equipment, such as syringes, spoons and filters
not sharing razors or toothbrushes that might be contaminated with blood
The risk of getting hepatitis C through sex is very low. But it may be higher if blood is present, such as menstrual blood or from minor bleeding during anal sex.
Condoms are not usually necessary to prevent hepatitis C for long-term heterosexual couples, but it's a good idea to use them when having anal sex or sex with a new partner.
Page last reviewed: 27 October 2021
Next review due: 27 October 2024
Next
:
Symptoms
Support links
Home
Health A to Z
Live Well
Mental health
Care and support
Pregnancy
NHS services
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
NHS App
Find my NHS number
Your health records
About the NHS
Healthcare abroad
Contact us
Other NHS websites
Profile editor login
About us
Accessibility statement
Our policies
Cookies
© Crown copyright